EVALUATION INDICATION SYSTEM, EVALUATION INDICATION METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130018573A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: NONOMURA, Junichi, YAMAKAWA, Junki, MIZUNO, Hiroyuki, MIURA, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,151,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Evaluation indication systems, methods, and programs display a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display unit, acquire current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in current travel of the vehicle by unit sections, and acquire previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past prior to the current travel by unit sections. The systems, methods, and programs indicate the current evaluations and the previous evaluations together by unit sections on the map.

Claims

1. An evaluation indication system comprising:

a map display control unit that displays a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display unit;

a current evaluation acquisition unit that acquires current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in current travel of the vehicle by unit sections; and

a previous evaluation acquisition unit that acquires previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past prior to the current travel by unit sections,

wherein the map display control unit indicates the current evaluations and the previous evaluations together by unit sections on the map.

2. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the previous evaluation acquisition unit acquires the previous evaluations when the vehicle has travelled a section, including the current position, in the past prior to the current travel.

3. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the vehicle is travelling from a departure point toward a destination, the current evaluation acquisition unit acquires the current evaluations for a section from the departure point to the current position; and

the previous evaluation acquisition unit acquires the previous evaluations when the vehicle has started off from the same point as the departure point in the past prior to the current travel and has travelled to the same point as the destination.

4. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the current evaluation acquisition unit acquires a current average fuel consumption that indicates an average fuel consumption of the vehicle in the current travel;

the previous evaluation acquisition unit acquires a previous average fuel consumption that indicates an average fuel consumption of the vehicle in the past prior to the current travel; and

the map display control unit indicates the current average fuel consumption and the previous average fuel consumption together on the display unit.

5. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the map display control unit indicates the current evaluations and the previous evaluations on the map in different modes.

6. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein the map display control unit indicates the current evaluations and the previous evaluations on the map in a mode different from that of traffic information indicated on the map.

7. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein when a current evaluation and a previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section, the map display control unit indicates the current evaluation and the previous evaluation of the same unit section on the map in a distinguishable mode.

8. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein when the current evaluation and the previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section, the map display control unit indicates the current evaluation and the previous evaluation of the same unit section at different positions on the map.

9. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein when the current evaluation and the previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section, the map display control unit indicates the current evaluation and the previous evaluation in the same unit section on the map with icons having the same shape and different sizes, and superimposes the smaller icon on the larger icon when the icons overlap each other.

10. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein:

the map display control unit displays a first map that shows the current position and a map around the current position and a second map that shows the current position and a map around the current position on the display unit; and

the map display control unit indicates the current evaluations on the first map, and indicates the previous evaluations on the second map.

11. The evaluation indication system according to claim 7, wherein when the current evaluation and the previous evaluation are acquired for the same unit section, the map display control unit indicates the current evaluation of the same unit section on the map, and highlights the current evaluation of the same unit section different from the previous evaluation of the same unit section.

12. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein when a power source of the vehicle has been started up and then the vehicle has reached the current position without stopping the power source, the current evaluation acquisition unit acquires the current evaluations for a section from a position, at which the power source has been started up, to the current position, and the previous evaluation acquisition unit acquires the previous evaluations before time at which the power source has been started up.

13. The evaluation indication system according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle has reached the current position after time specified by a user, the current evaluation acquisition unit acquires the current evaluations for a section from a position of the vehicle at the time specified by the user to the current position, and the previous evaluation acquisition unit acquires the previous evaluations before the time specified by the user.

14. An evaluation indication method comprising:

displaying a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display unit;

acquiring current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in current travel of the vehicle by unit sections;

acquiring previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past prior to the current travel by unit sections; and

indicating the current evaluations and the previous evaluations together by unit sections on the map.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions for performing an evaluation indication function comprising:

displaying a current position of a vehicle and a map around the current position on a display unit;

acquiring current evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption in current travel of the vehicle by unit sections;

acquiring previous evaluations that indicate evaluations of fuel consumption of the vehicle in a past prior to the current travel by unit sections; and

indicating the current evaluations and the previous evaluations together by unit sections on the map.